Device for maintaining the doors of automobile vehicles in a given position of opening



Jan. 19, 1965 PERAS DEVICE FOR MAINTAINING THE DOORS OF AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES IN A GIVEN POSITION OF OPENING Filed May 25, 1961 I71 rev; ar-

United States Patent 3,165,7 77 DEWQIE FGR MAHNTAENENG THE DGORS 0F AUTQMQEELE VEHZCLES IN A GWEN PGSETION 6F OTENING Lucien Pei-as, Billancourt, France, assignor to Regie Nationals des Usines Renault, Biiiancourt, France, French works filed May 25, 1961, Ser. No. 112,718 Qlaims priority, application France, June 24, 1964 831,057 1 Claim. ('31. 16--85) The invention relates to doors and more particularly to vehicle doors, and is concerned with a check device enabling the door to be held in a given position of opening. This device finds a special application in the case of the doors of automobile vehicles which it is desired to hold in the fully-open position, while preventing them rom closing due to the effect of wind or of their own weight.

The invention has more particularly for its object the production of a device which enables this result to be obtained in a simple manner, without other external action than the action of opening the door.

In accordance with the invention, the device comprises essentially a check-arm forming a spring clip pivotallymounted on the door in a substantially vertical axis and fixed externally to the door in the fillister of the latter, and co-operating With a pin fixed on the door upright, engaged between the arms of the spring clip, and which, in the fully open position of the doors engages in a loop formed at the extremity of one of the arms of the clip after having forced the arms of the clip apart, and thereby causing a braking action on the opening of the door before the latter is completely stopped. The arrangement of this door stop is such that all the elements of which is is formed are located on the outside of the door and its upright, which clearly facilitates the assembly, maintenance, and repair.

One form of preferred construction of a door checkdevice according to the invention will now be described by way of non-limitative example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial view in horizontal cross-section of an automobile door equipped with a check-device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation to a larger scale of the check arm of PEG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, there can be seen the body upright 1 forming the door frame, the face 2 of which constitutes the door fillister. The latter is shown in full lines in the open position and in chain-dotted lines in the closed position, and is composed of an outer panel 3 and an inner panel 4, coupled to the outer panel along the folded edge 5. The pin of the hinge about which the door pivots is shown at 6.

The door check-device comprises on the one hand an arm 7 in the dorm of a clip with two arms 8 and 9 pivoted on a shaft 18, the support 11 of which is welded on the edge of the door, and on the other hand a pin 12 engaged between the arms 8 and 9, and having a support 13 welded on the fillister 2 of the body upright 1.

It can be seen from FIG. 2 that the check-arm 7 is constituted by a steel blade elbowed at 13 and 14 so as to form a spring clip, the two limbs 8 and 9 of which are parallel to each other over a certain length 15, being spaced apart from each by a distance 16 substantially equal to the diameter of the pin 12. The free extremity of the limb 8 is terminated by a loop 17 having an internal diameter equal to the diameter of the pin 12. The free extremity of the limb 9 is bent at 18 so as to close at 19 on the loop 17 with a certain elastic tension, as shown in the drawings.

The operation of this device is as follows:

When the door is opened in the direction of the arrow 29, the pin 19 describes a circular arc about the axis 6 of the hinge, and the two parallel limbs 8 and 9 of the arm 7 slide on the fixed pin 12 without offering any resistance.

When the inwardly-bent portion 18 of the limb 9 comes into contact with the pin 12, the latter forces apart the limbs 8 and 9 and thus brakes the opening movement of the door up to the moment when the shaft 12 passes into the loop 17, thus completely immobilizing the arm 7 together with the door.

In order to re-close the door, it is only necessary to cause it to pivot in the opposite direction, it being however necessary to overcome the resistance corresponding to the opening of the clip, after which the door will reclose normally.

The materials constituting the pin 12 and the steel blade of the arm will be chosen so as to have very slight wear over long periods, together, with a silent operation. T 0 this end, the friction between these two parts may advantageously be provided between a steel blade of a very fine and very hard texture and a pin of selflubricating plastic material of suitable type, such as Teflon, Vulkolan, etc.

The dimension 16 may also be chosen so that the arm 7 is always held stationary by friction on the pin 12, irrespective of the position of the door. In this manner, undesirable vibrations due to the action of the shocks of the vehicle are prevented from affecting the arm 7.

Finally, it will be observed that this device is of vary small dimensions and can very easily be housed in the fillister of the door, in which it can be concealed by the usual weatherproofing rubber strips.

I claim: 7

For use with a door contsruction of an automotive vehicle which construction includes a door frame having an edge portion and a door having a cooperating edge portion hingedly mounted on the edge portion of the frame, a door check comprising a first pin vertically fixed on the edge portion of the door frame, a second pin vertically fixed on the edge portion of the door, a onepiece spring clip having spaced apart, parallel extending, first and second arm portions, said arm portions having first ends terminating in a loop circumposed on the second pin, said first arm portion having a second end angularly extending inwardly toward the second arm portion and terminating in a straight end portion, said second arm portion having a second end arranged adjacent the inner end of the second end of the first arm portion and terminating in a U-shaped portion having an open end facing the straight end portion and being closed oif thereby and having a free leg terminating in an end engageable with the straight end portion, said Patented Jan. 19, 1965 U-shaped portion and straight end portion cooperating to engage the first pin and limit the opening movement of the door, said arm portions having parallel extending portions transversely spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the first pin which slides between the inner ends of said arm portions when the door is being closed, said second arm portion has an angular bend joining the U-shaped portion to the second end of the second arm portion and being adjacent the inner end of the straight arm portion and being wedged away from said inner end to act to brake the opening movement of the door before said movement is completely stopped.

' References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,039,961 5/36 Jacobs 16-85 2,074,398 3/37 Jacobs 1685 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,169,424 9/58 France. 1,191,773 4/59 France.

780,684 8/57 Great Britain.

DSNLEY 5. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH D. SEERS, Examiner. 

